The mountain is home to two historic telescopes and many other scientific instruments, along with a billion dollars’ worth of broadcast transmission towers.

Flames and smoke have killed dozens of people over the past month and burned hundreds of thousands of acres, causing massive disruptions.

Thousands of acres have burned across the northern part of the state, forcing the evacuation of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and posing a serious threat to Lick Observatory.

Researchers uncover the “body-snatching” tactics of fungi that flourish immediately after wildfires.

The wildfires burning across Australia have caused significant damage to ecosystems and vulnerable species, yet some are faring worse than others.

The utility company PG&E has cut electricity to much of the Bay Area as a preventive measure.

Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are less able to regenerate in the face of climate change, and some areas have already “crossed a critical climate threshold.”

From the effects of political upheaval on research to claims of gene-edited babies, the year has been a tumultuous one for the scientific community.

Investigators have the victims’ samples in hand, but face a range of obstacles before they can finally ID them.